2011-12: Reilly played for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees and had a breakout year with 83 points (59 assists) in 51 games. In the playoffs, he settled in defensively and only tallied eight points. He played for the US national U-19 team in the World Junior A Challenge and had an assist in five games. Reilly was chosen in the fourth round, 98th overall, of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

2012-13: Reilly played 37 games as a freshman at the University of Minnesota and skated for the gold medal-winning USA squad at the 2013 World Junior Championship. He scored 3 goals with 11 assists and was plus-1 with 14 penalty minutes as the Gophers finished first in the WCHA for the second straight year. Minnesota ended the season with back-to-back losses. Colorado College defeated the Gophers in the WCHA semifinals and Minnesota lost 3-2 to eventual national champion Yale in the NCAA West regional semifinals. Reilly’s twin brothers Connor and Ryan, who are a year older than Mike, were also freshmen with the Gophers (Ryan played in in eight games while Connor has yet to play in a game). Mike Reilly scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was plus-4 with 4 penalty minutes for the USA at the WJC in Ufa, Russia.

2013-14: Reilly was named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and a West First Team All-American following his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota. In 41 games he scored 9 goals with 24 assists and was plus-19 with 18 penalty minutes. The Gophers finished first in the regular season in the first year of the Big Ten and rebounded from a loss to Ohio State in the conference semifinals to reach the NCAA championship game. Minnesota defeated Robert Morris and St. Cloud State to win the West Regional and then defeated North Dakota 2-1 with a goal in the final second in the Frozen Four semifinals before falling to Union, 7-4, in the national championship game.

2014-15: Reilly was named the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and an NCAA West All-American for the second straight season and played for the bronze medal-winning USA team at the 2015 World Championship. He scored 6 goals with 36 assists and was +25 with 44 penalty minutes in 39 games as a junior for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers finished first in the Big 10 and captured the league’s only NCAA tournament berth, defeating Michigan, 4-2, in the conference championship game. Minnesota fell to in-state rival Minnesota-Duluth, 4-1, in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals. Reilly had 1 assist and was +3 with no penalties in 10 games for Team USA. The USA defeated the host Czech Republic, 3-0, in the bronze medal game. Reilly became an unrestricted free agent after not signing a contract with Anaheim and was signed by the Minnesota Wild to a two-year entry-level contract in July 2015.

2015-16: Reilly made his NHL debut with the Wild in a January 9th game against Dallas, skating in 29 games with Minnesota in his first pro season and shuttling between the NHL and AHL. He scored 1 goal with 6 assists and was -4 with 8 penalty minutes, averaging 12 minutes of ice time with the Wild. Reilly was the leading scorer amongst defensemen for Iowa despite appearing in just 45 games. He scored 5 goals with 18 assists and was -27 with 10 penalty minutes. The Wild missed the AHL playoffs, finishing last in the Central Division.

Talent Analysis

Reilly is a great puck moving defenseman with good vision and a strong shot. His biggest improvements need to be on the defensive side of the game, starting with his positioning but that should come with maturity. Reilly has added 30 pounds to his once questionable frame since being drafted which has made him much more effective in his own zone. He has great instincts on when to the join the rush and excels on the power play.

Future

Reilly skated in 29 games for the Minnesota Wild in 2015-16, splitting the year between the parent club and the AHL's Iowa Wild. An offensive, puck moving defenseman, he has the ability to generate scoring chances off the rush but is sometimes a liability defensively. He projects as an impact player if he can shore up his defensive play.

Photo: With a shortage of NHL forwards signed for next season, the Wild may have to rely on a player like leading Iowa scorer Zack Mitchell to step up into a depth role (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Once again it has been a tough year to be a prospect in the Minnesota Wild organization. Chris Porter, Jarret Stoll, David Jones, and Nate Prosser took some of the minutes in the NHL often reserved for younger players but the team lacked for better options. Although Christian Folin (eventually) graduated, Mike Reilly looked like a possible fit during his stint, and Kurtis Gabriel got a great opportunity to play a role in the playoffs, the team’s lack of NHL-ready depth was a major factor in a disappointing season.

Photo: The Minnesota Wild’s 2014 first-round pick and top prospect, Alex Tuch, sets his sights on a national title for Boston College (courtesy of Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Wild‘s struggles this season cost head coach Mike Yeo his job, but a bigger problem than his decision-making threatens the Wild’s future success. The prospect pool lacks star quality. Though there has been plenty of trade babble, young stars and old come at premium prices. Rather than having a budding home-grown star waiting in the wings, the Wild’s recent run of below-average drafting has meant little flexibility for Chuck Fletcher, as well as an AHL team mired at the bottom of the standings.

Photo: If Minnesota Wild prospect Gustav Olofsson is ready for NHL minutes soon, he might make another young defenseman expendable (courtesy of Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Now past the midpoint of the 2015-16 season, a relatively healthy and whole Minnesota Wild team is cooling of late. Offense is down, shots for are down, shots against are up, and points have been lost in the NHL’s new 3-on-3 overtime format. The Wild has dropped four in a row while the rival Chicago Blackhawks are on a 12-game winning streak. Read more»

Photo: It might be overstating things to call Christoph Bertschy’s North American debut ‘long-awaited’ but the 2012 sixth-rounder has long been one of the most promising prospects in the Wild system (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

By now it has become clear that fielding a competitive AHL team is just not part of Chuck Fletcher and the Wild’s plans. As of this writing, the Iowa Wild is again in last place in the AHL, with the fewest points and the most games played.